SLI unhealthy fish

Did some afternoon fishing today. Had the usual mix bag of snappers, lost a snook, red, Jack's and some others. Got this puffer fish by the inlet and he did not look healthy as it had some skin issue. I am guessing from the nasty water we are dealing with

The water is brown from a variety of reasons (lake dumping, rain runoff, blah blah blah), but there are still some fish around. I was out yesterday, fished the inlet and some of the docks and seawalls and small bridges near the SLI and there were plenty of tarpon rolling and snook blowing up on mullet. I watched one snook bust a school so hard it flipped a couple mullet up on the seawall. Lots of jacks!! Didn't see any dead fish all day.

I agree that the effects of long time abuse of our estuaries is a total disgrace. However in this instance it appears to be injuries from a predator which is fairly common for checkered puffers during their spawning cycle which recently occured.

I agree that the effects of long time abuse of our estuaries is a total disgrace. However in this instance it appears to be injuries from a predator which is fairly common for checkered puffers during their spawning cycle which recently occured.

The river has been destroyed by the unabated discharges and pollution and likely has irreversible damages. Used to fish topwater for mangrove snappers before the decline! Just got back from fishing the lush grass flats and islands in the Pamilico Sounds. What a joy to sight fish to schools of redfish and watch the gills flare when they attacked the Gold spoons and DOAs. I hope someday the grass flats come back and we will be able sight fish on the Indian RIVER again:banghead

water in the indian literally looks like ****. Cast netted some mullet the other day and couldn't even tell they were mullet as they darted around in the net on the way down. They looked orange.

Fished the surf at Walton Rocks to Power Plant today. Water looked like coffee, no fish or bait! Tried Indian River Middle Point could not see feet in 1 ft of water. No fish tried DOAs and gold spoons nothing! River is a train wreck, no grass and **** filled water to boot! At least we are going into the Dry Season and the Orlando sewer pipe will be closed. hopefully the water will clear up.

This is so depressing. I used to love fishing those lush grass flats 10 years ago by the PP (Mud Creek/Bear Point). In the ensuing years, it started accelerating to the point now, that I don't want to even get my feet wet in the IR. It started sucking north of Ft. Pierce a few years and eventually I got tired of the muck I had to scrape off my DOA's. This last year I sold my flats & bay boats and bought a CC for offshore.

Live on Bessy Creek. Water has looked like chocolate for about a month with no relief in sight

Fished the Indian River at Bear Point on November 5th. The water quality actually improved. I could see my feat in 2ft. of water. The water clarity is a significant improvement from what it looked like the last 6 months. Despite the improvement in the turbidity the bottom was void of what used to be expansive grass flats. There was plenty of bait, mullets schools were piled up along the mangroves. Out there for 4 hours and caught one 14" red fish on DOA. The relentless assault on the Indian River has really taken its toll. The River is trying to send us message let's hope that your elected leaders will do something or the wonders of the Indian River will lost forever!!

The unabated assault on the River and Beaches continue. Fished Jupiter Island at the St Lucie Wildlife Refuge Park and the water was 2-tones of coffee; Dark and with cream. The Orlando Sewer pipe is wide open again! Should be Macks, Jacks and Bluefish in the surf but I guess they do not like polluted water! After several fruitless hours of surf fishing with DOAs and Metals made the move to the Indian River at Bear Point to try my luck. Saw some mullet moving and enjoyed a dolphin feeding show but no rod bending action at all. The water looked greenish brown and there was no grass in an area that use to be covered in sea grass!